Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892–1927) was a Japanese writer and one of the major authors of modern Japanese literature. He studied English literature at the Imperial University of Tokyo, graduating in 1916. He then worked as an English teacher at the naval engineering school in Yokosuka before becoming a freelance contributor to the newspaper Osaka Mainichi. Akutagawa published his first stories while still a student. His literary breakthrough came with the 1917 collection Rashōmon. His work includes more than 150 short stories and other works of fiction, as well as essays and poetry, combining Japanese literary traditions with Western influences. Akutagawa died by suicide in 1927. The Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan’s most prominent literary awards, is named after him.